Continuous Improvement Process

The Continuous Improvement Process follows seven steps when setting goals and objectives for the college:

Continuous Improvement Process Teams

Below are the Continuous Improvement Process teams that were established, along with the project objectives for each team.

1. Core Values - To identify to what extent the identified institutional core values permeated our college culture as measured by understanding, acceptance, and demonstration.
2. Buy-In - To improve AQIP participation and success as measured by increasing the number of participants, cross-division participants, and implemented AQIP projects.
3. Employee Information and Recognition - To improve the employee information and recognition process as measured by employee satisfaction survey results and employee publications.
4. Mid-Term Retention - To improve midterm retention rates as measured by decreased student withdrawals, and identified barriers to continued enrollment.
5. Reducing De-enrollment - To reduce the number of students de-enrolled because of nonpayment of tuition at 20% and 80%. This will be measured by a decrease in the percentage of students and/or credit hours dropped.
6. Minimum Entrance Scores for English - To establish minimum entrance scores on the English Placement Test (or other assessment tests) for Reading 088 and Writing 089.
7. Assessment and Diagnostics - To improve the placement testing process as measured by the number of students completing the whole battery of placement tests prior to their initial registration and the number of students who enroll for the first developmental course in each subject area during the first semester after testing.
8. Study Skills - To improve student study skills as measured by student retention, student program matriculation, and student grade improvement.
9. Academic Advising - To examine the academic advisement process by identifying the current process, benchmarking other community college processes, and exploring alternate methods of delivery.
10. High School Articulation - To improve the high school articulation process as measured by number and status of articulation agreements, number of articulation agreements that are articulated with four-year institutions, number of courses that are IAI, number of students enrolled through articulation agreements, number of high school and community college faculty working together on curriculum. (Articulation is defined as a document that clearly defines a course or courses at a specific high school that become a prerequisite(s) or a course(s) equivalency for a course(s) to make the transitioning of students to Richland successful.
11. Marketing - To improve the College marketing process to high school students as measured by the increase in the percentage of high school graduates that enroll in Richland Community College for the semester following graduation.
12. High School Graduates Research - To create a research tool to be used with high school students that is measurable by actionable data, representational data, and systematic timely reporting.
13. Developmental Education - To increase student success in English 088 by offering alternative options for students who have previously been unsuccessful or who are at risk of failure.
14. Collaboration and Development with High School Personnel - To identify dual credit issues within the Illinois Community College System that will result in recommendations to Richland Community College for increasing enrollment and improving relationships in dual credit courses.
15. Learning Communities and Team Building - To improve opportunities for the success of collaborative teaching at Richland Community College, as measured by the number of collaborative course offerings, retention rates in collaborative courses, and demonstration of student learning outcomes for students in collaborative courses.
16. Knowledge Management - To construct an Information Management tool to educate the College about data-related issues, as demonstrated through increased usage of available technology.
17. Advising - To improve the level of consistency in advisement as measured by student evaluation of advisement process survey, advisor evaluation of advisement process survey, identification of student concerns as measured by the Noel-Levitz Student Satisfaction survey and the ACT Faces of the Future survey, specified training on academic advisement services, increased information available on an advisement web site.
18. Program Evaluation - To improve the process for evaluating all educational programs at Richland Community College. Measures of improvement/sucess related to this project include the creation of an evaluation system (or matrix or process) that is relevant and useable college-wide, the introduction of an evaluation system/matrix/process to all those involved in the governance structure of the College, and a discussion with the President and other administrative personnel as to if/how policies related to the implementation of an evaluation system should be addressed by the Board of Trustees.
19. Employee Issues (Staff Evaluation) - To evaluate the effectiveness of the employee appraisal instrument as measured by usefulness and satisfaction of supervisor and employee in providing feedback and goals that support Richland Community Collge Leadership Strategies and Core Values by proposing a new instrument, process, and training.
20. Faculty and Staff Development - To improve the professional development system for faculty and staff as measured by the number of participants, types of activities, and improvement in faculty, staff, and student satisfaction.
21. Faculty and Staff Orientation - To review and improve the process for new employee orientation as measured by employee survey results.
22. Policies for Technology Use - To review and update Board Policy 5.9, Responsible Use of Information Technology
23. RCC Standing Committee Structure - To improve the effectiveness and accountability of Richland Community College's Continuous Improvement (CI) Process as measured by employee satisfaction, time spent on projects, time span for projects, number of recommendations, decisions, and return on investment.
24. OD (AQIP the AQIP) - To improve the effectiveness and accountability of Richland Community College's Continuous Improvement (CI) Process as measured by employee satisfaction, time spent on projects, time span for projects, number of recommendations, decisions, and return on investment.
25. Employee Mentoring -  To develop an effective employee mentoring process as measured by increased employee satisfaction, increased retention of employees, and college leadership satisfaction.
26. Outcomes Assessment - To improve the learning outcomes assessment process at the Program, Discipline, and Course Level as measured by having 70% of faculty trained in student outcomes assessment and engaged in identifying student outcomes, assessment strategies, and measures.
27. Class Scheduling Improvement - To develop new niche enrollment markets through creative/alternative scheduling processes as measured by increased enrollements and degree completion.
28. Dual Credit - To review, evaluate, and recommend dual credit policies and procedures that will result in increased probabliility of student success and will reflect Richland Community College's Core Values.
29. Customer Service - To improve customer service through the efficient routing of phone calls and a reduction of customer complaints.
30. Technology Planning - To provide technology planning and a decision process as measured by needs, cost, and quality.